Improved fire-escape



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O T I S SPEA RI. OF BA L'T IM'ORE' MARYLAND.

Letters Patent No. 86,600,. dated Februa/r 'y 2,1869.

IMPROVED FIRE-ESQAIBE.

The Schedule refon-ed'tqfin these LettersPatent and snaking part of thesame.

To all whom it'may conic m.-

Be it known that I, Ours SPEAK, of Baltimore city,

county of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have in ings, and theletters of reference markedwthereon, mak-' ing part of thisspecificaxion, in which- Figure l is a front vii w of my machine.

Figure 2 is a side vie,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the basket and its framework, showing thegroo es.

Figure 4 is a plan v ew of the frame-work of the basket;

The nature of my inv ntion consists in an improved manner ofconstructing ilevators and fire-escapes.

By my machine the old system of carryingbricks, mortar, 850., in hods,upon the shoulders of the laborers, is avoided-and both labor andexpense are-saved, and danger obviated.

In crowded cities, where a large proportion of the inhabitants arecompelled, by force of circumstances, to live in tenement-houses, where,in cases of fire, as has frequently been the case, many lives are lost,simply because no means of escape are open to them, and particularlywhere timid and aged women and helpless children are unable, by reasonof th6ll 11'2ttll18$,t0

. descend a ladder when the'fiames are rapidly enveloping the buildingin which they are, my invention is peculiarly applicable, since, bymeans of its construction, a comparatively safe conveyance is presented.

My invention can also be easily adapted to the numerous hooleand-laddercompanies with but very little expense, and with out interferingwiththeir present usefulness.

To enable others skilled in the art to makeand use my. invention, I willnow proceed to describe ts construction and operation.

A is the ladder.

B is the basket or box.

O is the rabbet or track, attached to the inside of the side pieces ofthe ladder.

v D is the frame-work, to which is attached the basket,

and on each end of which there are grooves. a, which ,1

work on the rabbet O.

' b are the pulleys in the top of the'side pieces, over which works therope E. s

Eis the rope, by means of which the basket is elevated or" lowered.

F is the Windlass, which is fastened to the lower end of the ladder, andto which is attached one end of the rope. v

c are the rings, fastened on the outside of l the uprights of theladder, through which passes the rope.

d is the head-piece, attached to the frame-work of the basket, to whichis fastened the rope.

e are the crank-handles, by means of which the windlass is worked.

f are spikes in the bottom of the uprights, to keep the ladder-fromslipping.

The ladder A, when the same is provided with rabbets 0 O and pulleys bb, the samebeing in combiua tion with the Windlass F, cord E, groovedframe 1),

and conveyer B, and the whole is so constructed and arranged as tooperate substantially as described, as

and for the purpose specified. In testimonywhereof, I have signed myname to this specification, in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

OTIS SPEAR.

Witnesses EDWARD V. STARR, Tnos. '1. NnLson.

